Obama Announces Gun Control Plan
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama announced the Administration's strategy to prevent gun violence on Wednesday.
Some of the actions and proposals set forth by the President during
his speech included twenty-three separate Executive Orders he will issue as
President. Obama also called on Congress to enact tougher
anti-gun laws such as the reinstatement of the Assault Weapons Ban, a
Universal Background Check, and the appointment of a
director of the
Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
"Since Congress hasn’t confirmed a director of the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in six years, they should confirm Todd
Jones, who will be -- who has been Acting, and I will be nominating for
the post," Obama said.
NO PERFECT GUN CONTROL LAW
Referring to the Sandy Hook school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut as the call to action for more gun control laws, Vice President Joe Biden said, "No one can know for certain if this senseless act could have been
prevented, but we all know we have a moral obligation to do everything in our power to diminish the prospect
that something like this could happen again."
Biden acknowledged that although there is no perfect law to prevent gun
violence, it shouldn't stop the White House from
going forward with its push for more gun control. "We should do as much
as we can, as quickly as we can," said Biden. "And we cannot
let the perfect be the enemy of the good."
President Obama echoed Biden's sentiment, "While there is
no law or set of laws that can prevent every senseless act of violence
completely, no piece of legislation that will prevent every tragedy,
every act of evil, if there is even one thing we can do to reduce this
violence, if there is even one life that can be saved, then we've got an
obligation to try."
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH INTO GUN VIOLENCE
One of President Obama's Executive Orders will direct government-funded scientific research into the causal
relationships of gun violence. The President blamed gun supporters for the lack of research in this area of study. "While year after year, those who oppose even modest gun safety
measures have threatened to defund scientific or medical research into
the causes of gun violence, I will direct the Centers for Disease
Control to go ahead and study the best ways to reduce it -- and Congress
should fund research into the effects that violent video games have on
young minds," Obama said. "We don't benefit from ignorance. We don't benefit from
not knowing the science of this epidemic of violence."
UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECK
"I’m calling on Congress to pass some very specific proposals
right away," Obama said. "It’s time for Congress to require a universal background
check for anyone trying to buy a gun. The law already
requires licensed gun dealers to run background checks, and over the
last 14 years that’s kept 1.5 million of the wrong people from getting
their hands on a gun. But it’s hard to enforce that law when as many as
40 percent of all gun purchases are conducted without a background
check."
ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN
"Congress should restore a ban on military-style assault
weapons, and a 10-round limit for magazines," Obama said. "The type of
assault rifle used in Aurora, for example, when paired with
high-capacity magazines, has one purpose -- to pump out as many bullets
as possible, as quickly as possible; to do as much damage, using bullets
often designed to inflict maximum damage."
RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS
"Let me be absolutely clear. Like most Americans, I believe the
Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. There are millions of responsible, law-abiding gun owners in
America who cherish their right to bear arms for hunting, or sport, or
protection, or collection," Obama said. "There will be pundits and politicians and
special interest lobbyists publicly warning of a tyrannical, all-out
assault on liberty -- not because that’s true, but because they want to
gin up fear or higher ratings or revenue for themselves."
PHOTO CREDIT: White House Official Photo / Lawrence Jackson
PHOTO CREDIT: White House Official Photo / Lawrence Jackson
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